Topic/Keyword: Outdoor Retailer

Outdoor Retailer Summer: Learning, Connecting, and Inspiring Innovation

Learn. Connect. Innovate.

This is the framework that guided our conversations and collaborations at Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City this June.

From learning about outdoor recreation participation trends, to innovating solutions for phasing out harmful chemicals in outdoor products, to connecting with industry peers and allies, we united a collective of catalysts for meaningful change.

Thank you to everyone who attended our education sessions and stopped by our booth to share ideas and forge connections. Together we will continue to tread a path towards climate positivity, increased outdoor inclusivity, and a healthy outdoor economy.

Read on for a recap of our Outdoor Retailer adventure.

Day Zero: OIA Member event at evo

We started Outdoor Retailer with a bang at our welcome party at evo Salt Lake. Attendees enjoyed a live DJ, food trucks, a rooftop bar, gear giveaway spoils, and friendly conversations with industry peers and fellow outdoor enthusiasts.

Day One: Celebrating Juneteenth, DEI, and a more diverse and young new participant base

We kicked off Day One with a community breakfast gathering where we heard from our President Kent Ebersole, COO Dr. Arlene Charles, and keynote speaker Will Akuna Robinson. In recognition of the day’s cultural and historical significance, our conversations centered on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and what that looks like in the context of the outdoors.

Receiving a standing ovation from attendees, Will Akuna Robinson, a Triple Crown Thru-Hiker and community advocate, inspired us and shared anecdotes of healing, discovery, and self-love from his time on the trail.

“This was about learning how to live again, learning how to socialize, learning how to be a part of a community. Two days in, and I had my trail family,” – Will Akuna Robinson.

We also unveiled our most anticipated research report of the year, our Annual Outdoor Participation Trends Report. Research Director Kelly Davis revealed key insights and narratives around who’s doing what, when, and how outdoors.

Read the Executive Summary here

Day Two: Innovating Sustainable, Climate-Forward Solutions for the Outdoor Industry

One of the highlights of Day Two was our discussion on ‘forever chemicals’ and our new sustainability program, Clean Chemistry and Materials Coalition, a comprehensive program, working group, and consulting service to provide OIA members with strategies, scalable action plans, and solutions for thoughtfully phasing out these harmful chemicals from their products and navigating sustainability regulations across the country. Our goal is to support members as they innovate on sustainability and build consumer trust in their favorite brands.

Join CCMC today

“For the outdoor industry, the path towards phasing out forever chemicals includes finding safer replacement materials that don’t sacrifice performance. Recently, many leading outdoor brands have become committed to phasing out PFAS, and members like REI, Keen, and Patagonia are already supporting the cause by screening products for PFAS and eradicating toxic materials from their own product lines.

With the new CCMC, OIA looks to catalyze even broader compliance by bringing the entirety of our industry to the forefront of this vital chemical phase-out.” — OIA President Kent Ebersole

Day Three: Exploring the Industry’s Foremost Challenges to Business Success

We wrapped up Day Three of Outdoor Retailer with sessions that delved into some of the most pressing challenges for outdoor businesses today, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, navigating supply chain obstacles, and avoiding potential patent infringement issues.

Through creative collaboration with industry peers and Q&As with industry experts, we generated solutions in real-time.

At Our Booth: Real-Time Data Collection, Real-Time Connection

We invited OR attendees to engage directly with our Outdoor Participation Trends data by selecting their top three favorite outdoor activities from our list of some of the sports with the highest growth rates in 2022. It came as no surprise that the Outdoor Retailer attendee base enjoys any and all outdoor fun (as evidenced by our stickered-out poster – see below).

Post-Outdoor Retailer: The Movement Continues

Thank you to everyone who attended our sessions, stopped by our booth, shared ideas with our team, and engaged in our work. Outdoor Retailer presented a wonderful opportunity for our industry to come together and collaborate, but our work doesn’t end here.

As a member-led collective serving as the outdoor industry’s catalyst for meaningful change, we at OIA are here to support the outdoor industry, people, and the planet year-round.

Tread the path with us. Join OIA today.

Outdoor Retailer Education Session: NAVIGATING AN UNCERTAIN TRADE ENVIRONMENT

Watch on demand!

Live Date: Saturday, June 11, 2022

Outdoor companies continue to face multiple supply chain challenges stemming from the global shipping crisis, failed reinstatement of key federal trade programs, inflation, and lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. With American outdoor recreation participation at an all-time high, our industry has been uniquely hard-pressed to find ways to overcome the uncertain market conditions in order to meet unprecedented consumer demand. This has been particularly true for small and medium-sized businesses which often lead the way in developing innovative new outdoor apparel, footwear, and equipment.

Join OIA for a conversation with representatives from a diverse group of outdoor companies, Congress, and the administration on how your business can navigate these uncertain times and improve your bottom line.

Moderator: Richard W. Harper, Jr., Director of Government Affairs, Outdoor Industry Association

Panelists:

Kay Martin, CEO, BOCO Gear

Jennifer Knight, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles, Consumer Goods, and Materials, International Trade Association

Quinn O’Rourke, Director of Compliance and Logistics, Lacrosse Footwear

Andrew Samet, Partner, Sorini, Samet & Associates

Outdoor Retailer Education Session: STATE OUTDOOR BUSINESS ALLIANCES

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Live Date: Friday, June 10, 2022

Outdoor business and recreation alliances across the United States are driving forces behind vitalized outdoor economies. These state-based groups are galvanizing businesses from across the outdoor industry and other key stakeholders to play a leading role in promoting recreation economies, accessibility, and the outdoor sector.

Join representatives from outdoor alliances to learn about their efforts to support the outdoor industry through advocacy, thought leadership, collaboration, marketing, workforce and business development, partnerships with state offices of outdoor recreation, and more.

Moderators:

Rebecca Gillis, State and Local Government Affairs Manager, Outdoor Industry Association

Jonathan Jarosz, Co-Founder, Land of Outsiders

Panelists:

Dustin Cederholm, Co-Founder and former Executive Director, Utah Outdoor Association

James Glover, Founder and Co-Director, endeavOR New Mexico

Jenny Kordick, Executive Director, Maine Outdoor Brands

Matt Lyon, Chairperson of California Outdoor Partnership (CORP), and CEO of HydraPak LLC.

Outdoor Retailer Industry Lunch: A Look at the Past, Present, and Future of Public Lands

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Live Date: Friday, June 10, 2022

The protection of lands and waters is foundational to the outdoor industry. From the creation and protection of national monuments to the development of neighborhood parks, it is essential to ensure that all Americans and our future generations are guaranteed the physical and mental health benefits of outdoor recreation. Time and time again, outdoor companies have united to raise our industry’s voice in defense of public lands and waters when they have come under threat. Under the current Congress and the Biden administration, the industry is at an important crossroads, with ample opportunities to demonstrate the importance of these lands and accessibility: from the consideration of a public lands package to the implementation of America the Beautiful, an ambitious proposal to conserve 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030. What role can the industry play to ensure that these pivotal opportunities yield a more equitable, accessible outdoors and ensure a thriving future for the planet? How can we continue to integrate lessons learned from the history of public lands and inequities, the traditional indigenous knowledge and practices in stewardship, and the stories of underrepresented communities to ensure that public lands are developed and maintained for all Americans in the years to come?

Join OIA for an informative discussion with key stakeholders, industry leaders, and representatives from Washington, D.C., to reflect on the history of public lands in America; the tools and innovations Congress and the administration may use to create new, shared spaces; and the opportunities to make a difference in 2022.

Moderator: Richard W. Harper, Jr., Director of Government Affairs, Outdoor Industry Association

Panelists:

Shoren Brown, Interim Executive Director, The Conservation Alliance

Theresa Conn, Director of Sustainability, NEMO Equipment

Ángel Peña, Executive Director, Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project

Madeleine West, Director, Center for Public Lands, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

Outdoor Retailer Education Session: Plateaued Email Marketing: How Do You Repair and Grow Customer Retention?

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Live Date: Friday, June 10, 2022

Your outdoor enthusiast consumer is likely receiving over 100 emails a day. Are you sending the same email to your entire customer database?
Since COVID, U.S. adult shoppers shifted to email as the preferred channel to receive advertisements and communication. Has your business kept up with this shift and trend?
Learn how to easily enrich your customer data and segment and “automatically” engage your prospects and customers, along with the importance of establishing and understanding your metrics. Break down and easily help determine your average order value and your average customer lifetime and value, etc.
Overview of digital best practices and ways to speak to a prospect like a prospect and a customer like a customer and the importance of personalized, targeted marketing for client retention and increased sales.
Whitepaper takeaway/download provided to all education session attendees.

Presenters:

Scott Buelter, CEO, Ascent360

Molly Holmes, Director CRM, Alterra Mountain Company

Outdoor Retailer NPD TREND BREAKFAST: RETAIL AND CONSUMER TRENDS IN THE OUTDOOR MARKETPLACE

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Live Date: Friday, June 10, 2022

Join NPD for a fast-paced, informative “Outdoor Trend” breakfast session.  This is a “must-attend” event for those interested in understanding retail trends and sales in outdoor.  This session will provide an in-depth update on what’s driving consumers and what they’re spending money on.  In today’s complex retail environment, this session is critical to staying up to date on retail sales and consumer insights. Matt Powell and Julia Clark Day are experts on the marketplace and will talk about what’s selling and the critical why behind the buy.  If you are looking for an understanding of current retail market trends and consumer dynamics, this session will give you a birds-eye view. 

Presenters: Matt Powell, Vice President, Senior Sports Industry Advisor, and Dirk Sorenson, Executive Director, Industry Analyst, The NPD Group

Sponsored by:

Outdoor Retailer Education Session: State of The Outdoor Market Summer 2022

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Live Date: Thursday, June 9, 2022

Join OIA for a presentation on participation in outdoor activities, consumer trends in outdoor, supply chain disruptions, pandemic-to-endemic outdoor habits, and consumer perspectives. Learn what the data is telling us about supply and demand, increased diversity across the participation base, the new consumer journey into the outdoor market, and what opportunities lie ahead of us post-pandemic. Kelly Davis, Director of Research for OIA, will discuss business, participation, buying behaviors and social trends and how they impact the outdoor market.  Expect to walk away from this session with a clear view of current activity in the outdoor market and to know what the future likely has in store for outdoor market players over the next year.

Presenter: Kelly Davis, Director of Research, Outdoor Industry Association

Outdoor Retailer Industry Lunch: Collective Impact in Action

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Live Date: Thursday, June 9, 2022

Through community investment and groundbreaking research, the Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside Initiative works with partners across the country to address outdoor equity barriers and help make the outdoors accessible for all. The collective impact model is the foundation upon which the Thrive Outside Initiative is built. Collective impact brings people together—in a structured way—to achieve social change.

Learn how the Outdoor Foundation and our Thrive Outside Communities are working to integrate the collective impact model to drive equity and systems change in the outdoors. Panelists will share their experiences working through a collective impact model, connecting youth and families from historically marginalized communities with nature, and addressing the outdoor equity barriers that exist in communities.

Moderator: Jacob Fisher, Program Coordinator, Outdoor Foundation

Panelists:

Akiima Price, Director, Thrive Outside Washington D.C.

Heather Rossetti, Manager, Thrive Outside San Diego

Outdoor Retailer Education Session: State-Based Equity Funds

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Live Date: Thursday, June 9, 2022

Access to the outdoors is a basic human right – yet it’s one that has often been denied to many of our youth. As a result, our underrepresented kids haven’t had the chance to experience some of the best of New Mexico: its outside world. In 2020, the New Mexico Outdoor Equity Fund opened to applications for the first time, awarding over $270,000 to 25 applicants across the state. It continues to support transformative outdoor experiences that foster stewardship and respect for lands, waters, and cultural heritage. During this OR session, hear from Angel Peña, executive director of Las Cruces-based Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project and one of the community leaders in New Mexico who created and advocated for this fund. The Outdoor Equity Fund has inspired similar programs throughout the country, and this session will also feature advocates and partners from other states enacting similar programming to work toward building an accessible outdoors for all.

Moderator: Teresa Martinez, Executive Director, Continental Divide Trail Coalition

Panelists:

Ángel Peña, Executive Director, Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project

Lesford Duncan, Associate Executive Director, Outdoor Outreach

Shirley Romero Otero, Founder and Executive Director, Move Mountains Youth Project Inc.

Outdoor Retailer Education Session: Ask OIA Anything On Trade

OIA’s international trade program is dedicated to promoting a stable and predictable trade environment for outdoor businesses of all sizes, from domestic manufacturers to those that utilize global value chains to bring product to market. Members of OIA’s Trade Advisory Council (OIATAC) meet regularly to provide advice and guidance on new initiatives to help the bottom line of outdoor companies and to collaborate and exchange new ideas and best practices as they navigate tariffs, supply-chain disruptions, shipping costs and other challenges to their businesses. Watch our presentation from Outdoor Retailer Snow Show 2022 to learn from OIA’s outside trade counsels from Sorini Samet & Associates and members of OIATAC on the latest federal trade updates, challenges to outdoor supply chains and how OIA members are responding.

Moderator: Richard W. Harper, Jr., Director of Government Affairs, Outdoor Industry Association

Panelists:

Ron Sorini, Principal, Sorini, Samet & Associates, LLC

Ben Christensen, Vice President of Operations, Simms Fishing Products

Sara Bowersox, Senior Manager of Global Trade Compliance, Keen Footwear

Takeaways from the session include:

There is broad, bi-partisan support for getting even tougher on China with regard to trade. Punitive tariffs are likely to remain in place for some time.
While Congress and the administration focused on domestic priorities in 2021, there’s a chance we’ll see movement on some outstanding trade items early in 2022, like renewing the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and a package of miscellaneous tariff bills.
Outdoor companies are dealing with unprecedented challenges in bringing products to market, from high freight costs to congestion at US ports. Work on addressing these issues has gone up considerably. Some have found success in broadening partners in freight and logistics, adding more options.
Looking at the year ahead, outdoor companies are looking for any opportunity to help with their bottom line, from leveraging any duty savings, streamlining supply chains to developing multiple vendor relationships.

Topic/Keyword: Outdoor Retailer

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